Squantum Naval Air Station – January 21, 1945

On January 21, 1945, Lt. (jg.) Peter Rippa, took off in an F6F-3 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 41789), from Squantum Naval Air station on a routine familiarization flight.

As he was returning to the base, he found that the landing gear wouldn’t come down. After several tires he notified the tower of his situation and was cleared for an emergency landing on Runway 260. Rippa brought the plane down on its belly and skidded to a stop. The Hellcat was heavily damaged by Rippa was not hurt.